Matsui powers Yankees to 13-3 win over Orioles

Sep 13, 2009 - 10:52 PM
By JAY COHEN
AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK(AP) -- Johnny Damon forgot how many outs there were. Mark
Teixeira couldn't come up with a clutch hit. Manager Joe Girardi
and Alex Rodriguez were ejected after the New York Yankees had
another run-in with umpire Marty Foster.

And CC Sabathia just kept rolling along.

Sabathia became the AL's first 17-game winner, Hideki Matsui
homered and drove in five runs and the Yankees avoided a
three-game sweep against last-place Baltimore with a 13-3
victory Sunday.

Clearly without his best stuff, Sabathia (17-7) still managed to
hold the Orioles to three runs and five hits in seven innings.
The big left-hander improved to 9-1 with a 2.75 ERA in his last
12 starts, despite finishing with just one strikeout for the
first time since June 21 at Florida.

"This was tough. I didn't really have the command and stuff that
I've had the past about a month and half," Sabathia said. "I was
just trying to do whatever I could to get outs and get the team
back in the dugout."

Melky Cabrera finished with four RBIs for New York, which
totaled 20 hits after getting 19 in the first two games of the
series combined. Derek Jeter went 3 for 5 and scored three times
to give him 101 runs on the season, reaching the century mark
for the 12th time.

Matsui hit a tiebreaking, two-run single off Jeremy Guthrie
(10-14) in the sixth and a three-run homer in New York's
eight-run eighth.

"Obviously, it's not good to go down two games straight and then
not be able to come back again and make it three games
straight," Matsui said through a translator. "So in that sense,
winning today's game was pretty important for us."

Nolan Reimold had two hits for Baltimore, denied its first
three-game sweep in the Bronx since June 1986. Guthrie allowed
five runs and 12 hits - equaling a career high - in 5 2-3
innings.

AL East-leading New York improved to 41-15 since the All-Star
break - tops in the majors - but much of its latest win wasn't
pretty.

Damon, who returned to the lineup after missing two games with a
stiff back, had a mental lapse that led to a Baltimore run.
Teixeira had three at-bats with a runner on third and less than
two outs, and failed to drive him in each time.

Girardi and Rodriguez were ejected after Baltimore batted in the
fifth, leading to one of the manager's most animated displays
during his two years as New York's skipper - and three different
stories about what happened.

Rodriguez became upset after he struck out looking with the
bases loaded to end the fourth on a pitch he said was a ball. He
had a brief argument with Foster before taking his position in
the field.

After Baltimore went down in order, the All-Star slugger looked
at a replay of the pitch before returning to the dugout. He said
he made a remark to Foster about his constant conversation with
Orioles catcher Chad Moeller that also happened during his
at-bat in the fourth.

"I just said, 'Yeah, keep talking to him,' and no warning, he
just threw me out," Rodriguez said.

Girardi, who said A-Rod was ejected after again telling Foster
the pitch was outside, then bolted out of the dugout and had to
be restrained, upset there was no warning issued before one of
his biggest bats was sent to the clubhouse.

Foster described Rodriguez's fifth career ejection and first
since July 24, 2004, as a running conversation that started
after his at-bat in the fourth.

"I let him go, I let him go, but there has to be an end of it,"
he said. "I can't let him argue with me all day."

It was Girardi's fourth ejection of the season and first since
Foster kicked him out on July 6 for arguing Jeter was safe at
third on an attempted steal against Toronto. Jeter insisted
afterward that Foster told him he didn't have to be tagged to be
out.

Baltimore got off to a fast start behind Justin Turner, inserted
at third base after Melvin Mora was scratched with a sore right
elbow. Turner picked up his first career RBI with a fielder's
choice in the second and made a heady play on the basepaths to
take advantage of Damon's miscue in the fourth.

Turner was on second when Jeff Fiorentino lofted a fly ball to
left with one out. Damon was fighting the sun as he caught the
ball and, thinking the inning was over, turned to the stands to
throw it to a fan.

Turner tagged up and was rounding third when Damon frantically
threw the ball to shortstop Jeter, who made a late relay to the
plate as the rookie scored to give Baltimore a 3-1 lead.

"It's one of those embarrassing things that you just hope
doesn't happen again," Damon said. "It's happened to me a few
too many times playing this game, but I'm just glad we won."

New York tied it in the fourth when Cabrera looped an 0-2 pitch
from Guthrie into center for a two-run single.

"You give that lineup over there any small chance and they're
going to pounce on you," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said.

NOTES: Girardi hinted before the game he could adjust his
rotation in the next couple of days. ... Trembley said CF Felix
Pie, who left Friday's 10-4 victory over New York with back
spasms, was feeling better and could take some swings Monday.